Shooting is a Perishable Skillhttp://bearingarms.com/shooting-is-a-perishable-skill-2/Excerpt:As Rogers once said, “As shooting is a perishable skill, you need good initial training followed up with regular sustainment training. Even the best initial training will rapidly dissipate unless you constantly refresh it.”

The Quality of Traininghttps://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/the-quality-of-training/Excerpt: An issue with rants about the quality of trainers is the underlying assumption that people actually want to be ‘trained.’ That’s not necessarily true. In general, people either want to be entertained or have their tickets punched. Neither of those two objectives has anything to do with training.

***** Tactics *****

Dynamics of Police Shootingshttp://www.activeresponsetraining.net/dynamics-of-police-shootingsExcerpts: If an officer pauses in the middle of a gunfight to assess his rounds’ effectiveness, the criminal will be able to fire two shots back at the officer while he is assessing. The idea of “Fire two shots and assess” gets people killed. The “Tueller Drill” which quantified that the “average” person could run 21 feet in the time it took a person to draw and fire 2 rounds, is inaccurate. The “average” was obtained by timing aging police firearms instructors. Younger, faster people can travel 31 feet in the time it takes to draw and fire. Modern holsters are also slower to draw from than the 1980s era holsters that were used in the original study. Thus, a person armed with an edged weapon could be a legitimate threat to an officer with a holstered firearm from a distance of up to 35 feet!

***** Super Important ***** An internal focus of attention (focusing on processes such as drawing the gun, finger positioning, sight alignment, etc) is detrimental to performance in a gunfight. There is only so much brainpower that an individual can use. If much of that brainpower is being used to figure out how to draw the gun, grip it, etc, there is less brainpower available for use in seeing threats and making good tactical decisions. Mechanical processes should be trained to the point of being automatic, so as to maximize the brainpower availability for making tactical decisions. ***** Super Important *****

American Handgunnerhttp://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/AmericanHandgunner/AHMJ16/Page 89, Ayoob Files column.Excerpt: "What do you carry?" The answer surprised me: a purple SIG 1911 sub-compact,cocked and locked. His rationale was he has seen something I've see go to court too: the lying SOB who thinks you might be carrying a gun, and falsely claims you pulled it on him when you didn't. Mitch's strategy is to tell the investigators, "Ask the complainant what the gun he alleges I pulled on him looks like." If they don't say "purple", well ...

31 Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers from the Expertshttp://www.bemytravelmuse.com/solo-female-travel-safety/ I chaperoned my daughter's high school group during their trip to France and Spain. If you are a high school girl (obviously too young to be a cop or a decoy) wearing ear buds and wandering around (by yourself, away from the group) with your head in the clouds, you are effectively screaming, "Kidnap me!"

***** Gear *****

Chic carry [pronounced sheek, yes, that word that applies to men too]http://www.guns.com/2016/03/19/chic-carry/Excerpt: "The thinking is if a company is selling it, it must be safe, right? (The answer, by the way, is no.)"

Care and feeding of your pistol -- Your pistol must go bang when you pull the trigger.What can you do to ensure this? *Clean your pistol and magazines*. Yes, you have to clean the inside of your magazines to ensure reliable feeding. *Use factory new ammunition*. I'm sure you are competent and have good intentions. But, you don't have the sophisticated testing equipment that the big factories have. And you are human, so you get bored with monotony. Machines never get bored or distracted. *Grip the pistol correctly*. This comes with being taught by a competent instructor. You think not? Go to any public range and observe. See some pretty crazy grips? That's what comes of thinking shooting is a natural ability that takes no training. Defensive pistol craft is often counter intuitive. The self-defense laws are not obvious. The effect of long range pistol shooting is not obvious to anyone who hasn't studied the physics. (Many people believe you have to aim high on long range pistol shots because gravity is pulling your bullet down. This is false. You have to aim low. Read the section on long range pistol shooting in my lesson plan or input your data into any online ballistic calculator and you will see.) *Avoid incompetent modifications* to your pistol. Leave your pistol alone. If your pistol needs fixing, send it back to the factory or pay a competent gunsmith to do it. The YouTube.com DIY (do it yourself) video is not appropriate.

The politicians are forcing the cops to back away from the criminals. Thus, the crime rate is skyrocketing in Ferguson, MO; Baltimore, MD;
Chicago, IL; etc.

***** Survival Tips *****

ILEETA Convention, 2016http://defense-training.com/2016/ileeta-convention-2016/Excerpt:Several lecture Classes, conducted by players well-connected at the highest federal and international levels, without divulging specifics, assured us that this summer and fall will see “exciting” events unfolding internationally, and that we are all thus well advised to (1) stay alert and pay attention, (2) avoid international travel, and (3) go armed.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Greetings Sheepdogs, The 2016 Tactical Conference in Memphis, TN was outstanding. At times there were 5 classes going on at the same time during the 3 days. The three of us tried to go to different classes and exchanged notes over dinner every night. But still, we missed most of the available information.There were lecture classes, shooting classes, hands on grappling, hands on disarming and retention, etc. It was mind boggling. I enthusiastically recommend attending. Sign up early, as it sold out 4 months in advance this year and will probably sell out 6 months in advance next year.http://rangemaster.com/ Words of wisdom from the Tactical Conference are scattered below. (I would have had a lot more if I could read my handwriting.)

In the U.S., 3.1% of us have a carry permit.That's 12.5 million persons. Unfortunately, only a small fraction actually carry.

Indicators of malicious intent:Movement toward youSudden appearanceDistraction (one guy talking to you to allow another to sneak up behind you)Any attempt to fix you in place (movement to block your path)Grooming mannerisms (for instance, rubbing the chin, touching the face, these are pre-assault cues)[There are more, but I can't read my handwriting.]

When accosted, you will probably be accosted by multiple assailants. Because criminals work in gangs.So, you should carry a full size high capacity pistol.

***** Training *****

How to judge the stuff your instructor is teaching you: Is it useful? (or is the probability of having to use it in combat near zero) Is it simple? (or is it complex and therefore extremely difficult to turn into an automatic response) Does it work in adverse conditions? (because any attack will create adverse conditions; physically and mentally) Is it proven? (have cops or soldiers used it in real world combat?)

Stopping the bad guys is important. But, knowing first aid to save the good guys may be more important.

When you last practiced is more important than how much you last practiced. -- Tom Givens In the neuroscience section, they stressed how recency is crucially important. You remember recent motor operations much better than ones you last practiced long ago (even if you practiced them a lot
long ago).

Always striving to do something new and different, I did a one-on-one course with with a lady, Michelle. She is an attorney from Denver, CO. She flew in to Nashville, TN on Saturday, 5 March 2016 and departed on Monday, 14 March 2016. During the week we did most of
the NRA Defensive Pistol course: ~10 hours of lectures, ~10 hours of pistol manipulations, ~2 hours of simulators (shoot / no-shoot judgment exercises; We took a coffee break in the middle, as her hands were getting sore.), ~16 hours of live fire exercises. We did not do the tactical exercises (IDPA match) nor the force-on-force exercises (Simunitions), because she had to work on a case in Albuquerque, NM. So, I dropped her off at an internet cafe (Flat Rock Cafe on Nolensville Pike) on one day and an IHOP on another day, and she did her lawyer thing by email and phone. In the early morning of Friday, 11 March 2016, we drove to Memphis, TN to attend the Tactical Conference.She did the classes: Managing the "Don't Shoot" (how to handle a compliant suspect) Ladies Only Range Session (live fire)Low Light EquipmentEscaping Common RestraintsTactical Folding KnifeDefining the ThreatCommon Training & Safety ErrorsLessons from Recent Trials (heavy legal stuff)Building Highly Successful Gunfighters (live fire) 2016 Tactical Conference Schedule - http://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TacConf2016_Schedule_Full.pdf Before she left on Monday, 14 March 2016, we attempted to do the Tactical Knife class by the Police Officer's Safety Association, but again ran out of time. She called me from Denver to tell me that she enjoyed the experience, was exhausted, and that all of her muscles were sore. So, she went to get a massage.

Why is training so important?In the U.S., twice a week someone gets shot who didn't need to. Everyday, a person shoots himself.-- Claude Werner [This may seem strange. It's a probability thing.The probability that a given person will shot himself is very low. But, the probability that anyone in a population of 323 million will shoot himself is very high.]

Learn to read the sights. That is to say, watch the sights move through your follow through. Keep your aiming eye open to watch the sights. If you don't see the muzzle flash, you closed your eye. This is a common problem. Be aware of it. Even on a bright sunny day, you will see the orange muzzle flash if youaiming eye is open.

Dry practice -Only when alert and focused.Unload in another area.Chamber check your pistol.Magazine check your pistol.Practice your holster operations.Use a dedicated target and remove it when you're done.Make sure you have a backstop that will catch your negligent discharge.Don't tolerate any disturbances. Don't let anything distract you. When you're finished with dry practice - Do something before loading. Like saying out loud,"I AM LOADED!" Or, leave the house. To protect your .22 caliber pistol, use a drywall anchor screw as a dummy round.

Dry practice to read the sights. You can't learn to read the sights with the distraction of the recoiland report of the pistol. Call your shots. With practice you will know where your shot went even if you can't see the bullet hole on the target. This is an essential skill.

Dry practice 2 to 4 hours after exercising for best effect.

Your dry practice to live fire ratio should be about 10 to 1.

Practice your rapid target analysis in Wal Mart.Look at the person and size him up. If Jason Borne can do it, you can do it. It just takes practice.Yes, you are profiling. Yes, it is politically incorrect. We are concerned with truth, not political correctness. Political correctness kills.

Why is keeping your trigger finger in the register position so important? The industry standard for self-defense / combat pistols is a 6 to 7 pound trigger. The startle response of a human will generate 30 pounds of pressure in the grip of the hands. Postural disturbances will cause the human to grip tightly. Interlimb interaction (sympathetic action) will cause the firing side hand, including the trigger finger, to contract when the support side hand contracts.

***** Tactics *****

There was a lot of talk at the conference about kicking down doors. I don't know if they were talking metaphorically and actually were using a battering ram or a Halligan, but I've never had the good fortune of finding a cheap weak door that opened in, that I could kick in. So, I teach my students to find another way if the door is locked. Once, you kick it (whether it opens or not) everyone knows you're there, and the shooting starts. There's a low probability of breaking through the doorway. There's a high probability of injuring yourself.

***** Techniques *****

Based on what I learned at the Tactical Conference, I have deleted the Harries flashlight technique from my lesson plans for my NRA Defensive Pistol course and replaced it with a head index
(cheek index, neck index, etc.)technique. Because you don't want to be pointing your pistol at what you're searching. That violates our safety rule. Actually, I've changed a lot of things in my lesson plans. I was teaching a lot of obsolete stuff. Send me an email requesting a copy of the latest version of my lesson plan.

***** Gear *****

Our friend, Matt Sarsfield, opened his Cerakote firearms coating business about a year ago. Contact him at mesarsfield@gmail.com to get a copy of his FFL.Have your FFL transfer your firearm to him for a top notch Cerakote job.

If you're going to keep a gun at home for self-defense, make sure you keep a flashlight next to it. Just as your pistol is loaded with factory new ammo for reliability, so your flashlight should have fresh batteries in it.

***** Instructors *****

---===***** Super Important *****===--- Teach your students what to do in the aftermath of a shooting. You have a responsibility to teach this. If you don't know, take a class and find out. Captain Massad Ayoob gave a lecture in which he compared two almost identical self-defense shootings. In the first, the lady immediately called 911 to report the self-defense shooting. In the second the lady left the scene, but returned later to call 911. In the first the lady did not speak to police. In the second, the lady made statements that later conflicted with her statements at the trial. The first lady spent 54 months in jail because she didn't have the money for the bail, but was eventually acquitted. The second lady is serving a 50 year to life sentence. The facts of the shooting were not in question.Only the actions after the shooting determined the outcome. When questioned after the trail, the jury of the second lady said they didn't believer her because of the conflicting statements and her fleeing the scene. The first lady didn't have any conflicting statements because she didn't make any statements at the scene of the shooting. Stress will cause loss of memory and false memories. Most police departments have a policy of not taking the police officers statement until he's had a good night's sleep, some won't take a statement for 72 hours. In just about every statement taken at the scene immediately after the shooting (that I've read), the officer gets the number of rounds that he fired wrong. That's the effect of stress.---===***** Super Important *****===---

"The super motivated, fit, really switched-on people don't need you. The 60 year-old women with tiny fingers and small hands and arthritis and no grip strength need you." -- Karl Rehn (paraphrased) I used to teach at Front Sight. The students were rich and highly motivated. For them, it was a great way to spend a vacation. Fun and games! Now days, I teach in small town churches and community centers. My students would rather be somewhere else, but they have a desperate need. They have seen the Jihadists doing recon on their churches. They have been mugged, or know of immediate family who have. To them, this self-defense stuff is life and death.

We teach careful gun handling, as opposed to safe gun handling. Safe implies no risk. When handling guns there is always inherent risk.

Teaching real world defensive pistol techniques requires a hot range. We are not teaching a sport. A cold range teaches the wrong mindset and wrong protocols. Safe range? No, we are running a victorious range.We are advancing the art, saving lives, giving people victory. -- John Farnam (paraphrased)

The student's goal should be 80% hits in the high thorasic cavity or cranio-occular cavity.Higher than 80% means they are going too slow.Lower than 80% means they are going too fast. This is the Goldilocks zone. In practice, you have to push your envelope to find your 80%, so that in combat you will know your limits and behave accordingly.

"A man's got to know his limits." -- Dirty Harry in Magnum Force

Don't allow your students to holster without a command to do so. It's just a bad habit. In combat, you won't know that the threat has ended. So, you shouldn't holster. Unless you have to do something else that requires both hands.

Never tell your students how to do things. Just tell them what needs to be done. Stay in role.

No gun handling in the student's car. Either leave the range with a loaded gun in the holster or with an unloaded gun in a box.

Having the students keep their trigger finger in the register position reduces the probability of a negligent discharge. The C finger register position is incompatible with the SERPA holsters. Because it leads to negligent discharges as the trigger finger continues the motion to defeat the holster retention device and hits the trigger.

Make sure your students wear eye protection.An instructor told us of an officer who after the shooting was finished removed his glasses. Another officer pulled the bolt of his Kalashnikov rifle to eject a live round (with sharp pointy bullet). The round flew two points down and hit the other officer in the eye. He lost his eye. Keep your glasses on! The glasses should be wrap around or have side protection. [Kalashnikov rifles are designed to throw the spent brass far away from the shooter, so as to prevent a pile of shiny brass next to the shooter. You will also notice that Russian made cartridges have dull colored cases, not shiny. Because the Russian engineers actually listen to the soldiers.]
Make sure your students wear high neck shirts.An instructor told us of a training session at a nuclear facility where a piece of hot brass went down the front of an person's shirt, burned the person, and startled the person. Resulting in the person shooting the person's foot. The foot had to be amputated. So, when someone says, "After the first time it happens, she will learn, and she won't let it happen again." WRONG! You can't let it happen the first time. Make sure your students wear hats with long wide brims to prevent hot brass from getting caught between their eye and their glasses. I will spare you the horror story.

Teach your students to drop fumbled guns.Never try to catch a fumbled gun! Murphy's law says it will fire and hit something you don't want to.

Teach your students to finish the drill. If something goes wrong, fix it. Reload and clear malfunctions as necessary, and finish the drill.

Trigger control is self-control.Touch the trigger. Take the slack out of the trigger.Smoothly press without intentionally firing the shot to achieve a surprise break.Trap the trigger to the rear and hold it there as you watch the sights move during the recoil and return to the target. Only then, do you reset the trigger. If you do this, you will never be going back to a target you missed, which is a huge waste of time.Rather, you will always be moving forward to the next target, which is an efficient way to win.

"Who Dares, Wins" -- motto of the Special Air Service

The Tactical Conference had a whole section on neuroscience. How many repetitions does it take to ...It depends. It's genetic. It's motivational. ... Anyway,300 to 500 repetitions to place a simple motor operation into implicit memory (muscle memory, but muscles have no memory, only the brain has memory).3000 to 5000 repetitions to break a bad habit. 300 repetitions to develop the motor response.Variable number of repetitions to maintain that motor response. 3000 repetitions to automate the motor response (unconsciously competent).

Amateurs study what happened. Professionals study what didn't happen. When a top pro wins a match everyone pays attention to his great shots. But, what allowed him to win was all the little mistakes that he didn't make. Exactly the same in a gun fight. Amateurs appear to move fast. Masters appear not to move at all.

We train for low probability events because they have dire consequences. And because the training is fun in that it forces us to think.And because we get to meet fascinating people.

---

In a recent simulator class, I had a student who waited until the knife wielding assailant moved around a barrier and around the bed before shooting the assailant. When I explained that the assailant presented a lethal threat and should have been shot immediately, the student responded by saying that he had been in multiple knife fights before and wasn't scared of a knife wielding assailant.1. In combat, you don't know what will happen in the next fraction of a second. Someone may attack you from behind. So, you need to stop threats immediately. So, you can respond to the next threat.2. The student's experience was extremely biased, in that the former assailants were untrained street punks. So, they were not skilled and their level of dedication to the attack was not high. I assured him that if he had survived attacks from trained dedicated assailants,his opinion would be to shoot immediately upon determination of a lethal threat.

There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.-- Will Rogers

---

"Knowing the law not only helps in the predictable post-incident legal battle, it can actually give you the confidence to make use-of-force decisions quicker,which in turn, increases your safety. There's no time for contemplation once you're accosted."-- Richard Nance, "gunFIGHT", Looseleaf Law Publications,Inc., 2016 A.D., page 11.

"Drawing a gun as a bluff is a very bad idea. If you are hesitant, a criminal predator will sense that and will likely attempt to disarm you. But unlike you, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger. Carrying a gun and not being willing to shoot someone is far worse than not carrying a gun at all."-- Richard Nance, "gunFIGHT".

In a recent live fire class, a student's pistol (Ruger P-91, semi-auto double action with ambidextrous decocker, .40 caliber; I could not find the pistol on Ruger's web site. So, I think it may be out of production. Production 1985 to 2013.) jammed with the slide to the rear. We could not release the slide with the simple tools at hand. Earlier in the course, during the cleaning class, the student had had difficulty field stripping and assembling the pistol. My opinion is that if the pistol is not easily field stripped and assembled, it's too complicated to be a combat weapon. You must be able to field strip, clean, assemble, and function test the pistol when you are tired (brain is struggling to focus), cold (hands are numb), and in the dark under stress (because the enemy is out and about). A gunsmith determined that the pistol was assembled (by the user) incorrectly. That caused the pistol to jam. In my opinion, any pistol that can be assembled incorrectly has a fatal design flaw.

In a previous newsletter, I cited Captain Ayoob's description of "position of disadvantage" as a factor in determining disparity of force as it is used in the justification of the use of lethal force. In his book,"gunFIGHT", Richard Nance mentions that the defender's injury or exhaustion are factors in determining the disparity of force.

"Do you live in a Stand Your Ground or Duty to Retreat state? That's a question, you probably should know the answer to." -- Richard Nance[Why would anyone choose to live in a state where cowardly behavior is codified in law? 46 states have some form of the Castle Doctrine. The other 4 states have a Duty to Retreat. Please think about that before you cast your ballot.]